Contract Lawyers · California · United States
Contracts drafted and reviewed for California’s rules: the non-compete ban, the ABC test for contractors and California privacy law. Our contract lawyers work with US startups and companies. Fixed fees from $99, and standard contracts are ready in 24 to 48 hours.
Share the contract, the counterparty and what worries you, such as a non-compete or a contractor agreement. A contract lawyer replies within 2 hours with a clear scope and fixed fee. No obligation.
No. A generic US template often contains clauses California will not enforce. California has an almost total ban on non-competes, a strict test for who counts as an independent contractor, and its own privacy law on top of federal rules. A clause that is fine in Texas can be void here, or can expose you to penalties for including it. As your contract lawyer in California we draft and review contracts with these rules built in from the start.
Our contract lawyers have US law experience and work with startups and companies on NDAs, SAFEs, SaaS and service agreements, contractor and employment terms and IP assignments. The page is led by Prakhar Rai, a business lawyer. For rules across all states, see contract lawyers in the USA.
On this page: Non-competes · Contractors · Inventions · Privacy · Governing law · Cost · FAQ
Almost never. Under Business and Professions Code Section 16600, “every contract by which anyone is restrained from engaging in a lawful profession, trade, or business of any kind is to that extent void.” In Edwards v. Arthur Andersen LLP (2008) the California Supreme Court rejected the “narrow restraint” exception other states allow, so even a clause limited in time, geography and scope is void here. The one meaningful exception is a non-compete tied to the sale of a business’s goodwill.
Yes to both. The ban reaches independent contractors. SB 699 (Section 16600.5) voids non-competes against California residents regardless of where or when the contract was signed, so a clause drafted under another state’s law can be unenforceable the moment the person works in California.
Send written notice that they are void. AB 1076 (Section 16600.1) required notice to current and former employees by February 14, 2024, and failing to do so can carry civil penalties of up to $2,500 per violation.
Confidentiality and trade secret terms, plus IP assignment. These stay fully enforceable. We draft them so they work without a non-compete. See non-compete rules by state.
Only if they pass the ABC test, whatever the contract says. California presumes a worker is an employee unless the company shows all three of the following: the worker is free from its control, does work outside its usual business, and runs an independent business of their own. This is much tougher than the tests in most states.
Back pay, benefits and tax exposure, often long after the relationship ends. That is why we match the agreement to how the work is really done. This matters daily for tech and startup companies that rely on contractors. See the 1099 contract guide and work for hire vs independent contractor.
Not always the company. California limits an employer’s right to claim inventions that an employee develops entirely on their own time, without company equipment, supplies or trade secrets, unless the invention relates to the employer’s business. A blanket assignment clause that ignores this can be partly unenforceable.
Assign what the company should own and carve out what California protects. We draft present-tense assignment language for founders, employees and contractors, the document investors check first. See IP assignment agreements and founders agreement drafting.
Yes, if your business meets the thresholds of the California Consumer Privacy Act, as expanded by the California Privacy Rights Act. It gives California residents specific data rights and applies to qualifying businesses wherever they are based. Generic US privacy language is often not enough.
No. Your terms of service, data processing agreements, vendor contracts and customer contracts can all need CCPA and CPRA-aware terms. See privacy policy drafting.
For consumer subscriptions, yes. California has an automatic renewal law with disclosure and cancellation rules, so SaaS terms for consumers need to be checked against it. See SaaS legal documents.
For investor and corporate documents, often yes. For California employees, not as a workaround. Delaware law is common for SAFEs, shareholder agreements and financing documents even when the company sits in California. But California limits employers from requiring California-based employees to give up California law or to litigate elsewhere, and SB 699 applies wherever the contract was signed.
The one that fits the document. We choose governing law and forum clause by clause for the deal, then check them against California rules. See drafting a US contract that holds up in court and SAFE agreements and convertible notes.
The agreements we handle most, drafted for California rules.
Founders and shareholders agreements, SAFEs and convertible notes, SaaS and licensing agreements, MSAs, API and data licences, terms of service.
Offer letters and employment agreements without non-competes, contractor agreements built for the ABC test, confidentiality, non-solicit and severance agreements.
Vendor and supplier agreements, joint ventures, preferred stock purchase agreements, commercial leases and NDAs.
A counterparty draft checked in tracked changes, then negotiated for you. See contract review and contract negotiation.
Five steps, all online.
Tell us the deal, the parties and your priorities, or send the contract you received.
We flag what will not hold up here: non-compete wording, worker classification or privacy terms.
A fixed fee is confirmed before work begins. A second lawyer reviews the draft.
A clean document and a short note on key clauses and what is enforceable.
Adjusted until the contract reflects the deal, ready to sign.
Fixed fees start at $99. You agree the fee in writing before work begins, and it covers drafting, internal review, revisions and a plain-language summary.
Standard contracts, from $99: NDAs and contractor agreements. Business contracts, from $179: MSAs, SaaS terms and employment agreements. Complex or multi-party work, from $249: shareholders agreements, SAFEs and multi-state deals. Reviewing a contract you received is quoted separately. See the US pricing, or the startup legal retainer for ongoing support.
Yes. We work with companies across California, including Los Angeles and San Diego. For startup and venture-backed work in the Bay Area, see our page on contract lawyers in San Francisco.
Related US pages and guides.
All states, full US contracts practice.
Bay Area startups and companies.
Where non-competes are enforced if reasonable.
The contracts a US SaaS company needs.
How a missing cap can sink a startup.
What lawyers actually charge.
Prakhar Rai is a business lawyer and the founder of My Legal Pal, enrolled with the Bar Council of India, with a Master of Business Laws from the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore. He advises US startups and founders on commercial contracts, from NDAs and SaaS agreements to SAFEs and shareholder documents, and leads a team of contract lawyers with US law experience.
Reviewed by Prakhar Rai. Last updated: November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice for your situation.
Tell us what you need and we will come back with a clear scope and fixed fee.
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